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Altair Roterve
Altair Roterve is a half-elven follower of Cegorach, one of the chaotic and unpredictable Demon Princes. He continuously wears a mask to hide his face, even when with the party. Moon H.Elf Cleric of Cegorach (multiclassing as Rogue at higher levels) Narrator, coordinator, illusionist, medic. The Masque of the Crimson Dawn A wandering band of minstrels, bards, and performers - the Masque’s founding members are Altair Roterve, a half-elven scholar-turned-cleric, and Solaire Terre, a tiefling. The Masque’s costumes are of a sort that disguises all but the most obvious of racial features - chalk white masks, like Solaire’s own face, are a calling card of members of this troupe, as is the diamond motley of red, white, and black they all wear. The Masque is composed entirely of half-breeds of one sort or another. Half-elves like Altair and Daeson, those bearing demon blood like Solaire, and so on (amusingly, Halflings are not actually half-blooded, and so they are not easily found among those allied with the Masque). Those who would be outcast or ostracized by either side of their lineage are welcomed into the fold of the Masque with open arms. They are led primarily at the behest of Altair, who now serves as a cleric to the Laughing God, Cegorach. It is by the Great Harlequin’s blessing that they are able to travel safely and undetected across the continent from one population center to the next to put on their shows. However, the members of this band are far from helpless, and the First Fool has ensured that together they are a match to any band of roving adventurers. Their acts, therefore, largely consist of extravagant displays of skill - sharpshooters, sword jugglers, acrobats, and cardists lead their performances, while casters and illusionists weave their magic to create extraordinary backdrops and sets. They do not often dabble in narrative performances, though when they do, it is often a tale of the Masque’s own exploits as they wander the land, monsters and foes conjured in all of their splendor with the cooperation of the troupe’s casters. Backstory A half elf born to a human mother and elven father out of wedlock, neither parent wanted much to do with the child, and so the one who would later be known as Altair was sent away to a monastery, to be initiated in the ways of the elven gods. The monastery’s gods, however, never seemed to answer to my rituals. And as time wore on, I gave up on making communion with the gods in turn, instead learning to imitate the others and their more genuine visions. It was by play-acting religious devotion that I was able to avoid punishment by the stricter elder clergy. Certainly, it was good that they never asked for a demonstration of holy magics, as a childhood spent in ingenuine servitude had rendered no genuine gift of magic. After decades of service, an odd visitor found his way to the monastery’s secluded doorstep. A tiefling with chalk white skin, a stiff face, and dark coat. He called himself Solaire, and bore an odd symbol - a face split in twain, between a jeering smirk and grinning skull. He had come to the monastery seeking sanctuary as both an entertainer and one spreading news of Cegorach, the Laughing God. The elder clergy had scoffed at this God of Fools, but Solaire had, with his wit, charm, and tricks, convinced them to allow him to stay for a short while. I still had to attend to my rituals, of course, but as the days passed it became clear that Solaire knew I was faking. It takes an actor to know when another is acting, he said. So in the times when I was not under watch, instead of pursuing fruitless rituals, he showed me his tricks, taught me his entertainer’s art, and explained to me the nature of Cegorach: The patron god of fools, actors, entertainers, and those who walk between worlds. He convinced me to at least attempt communion with this Cegorach, and handed me the laughing god’s holy symbol. Having developed a bond of trust with this stranger, I took the symbol and began one of my usual rituals, but as I went through the motions, more than prepared to simply fake my way through as I always had, the hand that grasped the symbol began to act on its own. It snatched a pack of cards from Solaire’s belt, and with a deftness not my own juggled shuffling the deck and grasping the symbol. One by one, it dealt out ten cards like the spokes of a wheel before setting the rest down, and placing the symbol itself in the center. Solaire, looking rather pleased with himself despite his stiff countenance and the unexpected thievery of his deck, gave the cards a reading in the ways of the Laughing God, explained their secrets to me, and declared the ritual a resounding success. We left the abbey the very next day. Together, Solaire and I travelled across the lands, a pair of entertainers making their living by Cegorach’s guidance. We found others in our travels much like ourselves, half-breeds who had been cast out by divided family and the societies to which they did not belong. One by one, we gathered these outcasts and gave them a family with us, the growing Masque of the Crimson Dawn. Some were receptive to the word of the Laughing God, while others were less willing to believe. Those who doubted, however, were still happy to join the Masque and have a place to belong - more so than the hometowns they left behind. It’s been nearly a year since young Daeson Decs had excused himself from the Masque on his soul-searching journey. We had agreed to rendezvous here, when the Masque made its next performance, and he had left us with the promise that the skills he honed, and the stories he found, on his adventure would make for a most spectacular showstopper. But he never returned to us. I decided to stay behind in this town, taking lodge with the adventurer’s guild Shieldhearth, to wait for him, and perhaps find him on one of the guild’s missions. The Masque is not without guidance, as Solaire is still leading them, and we have others who have been initiated in the ways of Cegorach who can continue to guide the troupe in my absence. It is my hope that the god of wanderers sees Daeson returned to us safely.Category:Player Characters